 |
| (Delahaye 2013) |
Increasingly new
media technologies are converging with traditional media to create hybrid
media forms that attempt to get the best of both worlds (Lawson-Borders 2003,
p. 91). This phenomenon appears to have stemmed from the growth of the
participatory media culture, a culture which is primarily dependent on users
having access
to the means to engage in media, as well as the existence of incentives for engagement
(Costanza-Chock 2012). According to Raessens, there are four key features of
the participatory media culture of gaming, which when combined distinguish it
from other forms of digital media (2005, p. 374). However, the features of
interactivity and connectivity can be easily applied to other forms of media,
especially considering that gaming now overlaps with other forms of media.
For example, Raessons defines interactivity in the context of
gaming as the ability of the gamer to ‘control the game’s proceedings and/or
its conclusion’ (2005, p. 374). Yet many social media devices are similarly
interactive in terms of their ability to enable users to contribute to
outcomes. This can be seen with the convergence of television and social media,
in which viewers are encouraged to take an active part in the viewing
experience by commenting on the progress of shows. Although this convergence
has been primarily used in reality television, recently it was employed as a
means to determine the outcome of the election debates (Ireland 2013). Thus,
the convergence of social media and television to facilitate greater
interaction has become an important political tool to both engage citizens and
gauge public opinion.
Raessens’ concept of connectivity can also be widely applied to
other media, as at its most basic level it involves the increased connections
between users (or audiences) via the Internet (2005, p. 374). According to van
Dijck, connectivity in the context of digital media involves the growing
ability of people to ‘make connections by sharing expressive and communicative
content’ (2013, p. 4). Thus, in the convergence of new and traditional media
forms, the traditional forms generally seek to embrace the connectivity and
interactivity aspects which new media provides. In this respect it can be said
that by acknowledging the new participatory culture, traditional media forms
are attempting to re-engage audiences.
Reference List:
Costanza-Chock, S 2012, ‘Henry Jenkins: participatory culture,
politics, and learning’, retrieved 9 September 2013, <http://civic.mit.edu/blog/schock/henry-jenkins-participatory-culture-politics-and-learning>.
Delahhaye, G 2013, ‘The thing about making TV shows based on
Twitter’, Videogum, 12 June,
retrieved 9 September 2013, <http://www.videogum.com/726451/the-thing-about-making-tv-shows-based-on-twitter/webjunk/>.
Ireland, J 2013, ‘Debating the debate – Labor, Libs can’t
agree’, Sydney Morning Herald, 7
August, retrieved 9 September 2013, <http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/debating-the-debate--labor-libs-cant-agree-20130807-2rea5.html>.
Lawson-Borders, G 2003, ‘Integrating New Media and Old Media:
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Organizations’, The International Journal
on Media Management, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 91-99, retrieved 9 September 2013,
<http://www.mediajournal.org/ojs/index.php/jmm/article/viewFile/10/3>.
Raessens, J 2005, ‘Computer games as participatory media
culture’ in J Raessen & J Goldstein (eds), Handbook of computer game studies, MIT Press, Cambridge, pp.
373-388.
Van Dijck, J 2013, The
culture of connectivity: a critical history of social media, Oxford
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